Local player Joe Gotlieb, 52, defeated WPT World Champion Asher Conniff heads-up to win the$1,675 Main Event at the inaugural World Series of Poker Circuit stop at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood on Monday. The victory paid Gotlieb $257,638, gave him his first ring, and awarded a seat into the season-ending Global Casino Championship.

The WSOP Circuit’s first-ever stop at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, consisted of a dozen ring events and culminated in the Main Event that drew 904 entries and created a $1,356,000 prize pool.

Among those to cash were Jonathan Jaffe (18th for $13,438), Erik Cajelais (29th for $6,929), Darryll Fish (33rd for $6,034), James Calderaro (45th for $4,732), and Loni Harwood (71st for $3,566).

In the end, the title came down to Joe Gotlieb and Asher Conniff, one of the players who recently received their Absolute Poker refund, with Conniff holding a significant chip lead. Still, despite the chip disadvantage and disparity in tournament experience, things went Gotlieb’s way during the match, especially when his pocket sevens held up against Big Slick for 95 percent of the chips in play.

“I wanted to give it a shot at going pro,” the small business owner told WSOP officials after the win. “This was it. This was my shot at that. Whenever I played games, I was always good at them, and when I wasn’t, I found a way to win anyway.”

Prior to the win, Gotlieb’s biggest cash was $13,381 for finishing 25th in this past summer’s WSOP Event #66, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em. His only other five-figure score was $12,871 for placing 54th in a $1,500 NLHE event at the 2008 WSOP.

Another first-time WSOP Circuit winner was crowned in Event #12, $3,250 High Roller, a tournament that drew 133 runners to create a $399,000 prize pool. Anton Wigg, 30, traveled from Stockholm, Sweden, to play the event, and he emerged victorious to win $111,719, a gold ring, and a Florida vacation to remember.

In the final hand of the tournament, which took place in Level 28 (30k/60k/10k), Wigg raised to 135,000 from the button with A♦10♠. Ian O’Hara moved all-in for roughly 1.5 million, holding K♣Q♦, and Wigg called. The board ran out J♠J♥8♠6♠6♦ and O’Hara had to settle for runner up and a $69,051 consolation prize.

“People come here to play, and they come here to bluff, and they come here to talk sh*t about each other,” said Wigg. “And I like that. I want to make it fun for people. I want to shoot the sh*t. Then you get down to business at the final table.”

The 2017/2018 WSOP Circuit season continues now through Oct. 9 at Horseshoe Southern Indiana. Then, from Oct. 12-23, the Circuit will head to Horseshoe Hammond in the Chicagoland area.